Knife drawing software

panch0

panch0

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
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I have an order for 14 knives, and I want to save some time and get them water jet cut. I have someone in mind for that service already. What I want to ask is what software do you guys use to draw the knives to send to the WaterJet guy. I used MS Visio and it was hard to get nice lines. Is there any FREE downloads, that can be used for this purpose? I dont have access to Cad or any expensive software like that only visio. Thanks for your input.
 
Ask the waterjet guys what file formats they accept. If it's only DXF format, you'll need the pro version of sketch-up. The regular version does not support DXF exports (which is the file format for most CNC-driven machines).
 
Do it the old way Pancho . Get some graph paper and draw it out to scale . Geeze , kids today .
 
I have been experimenting with Sketchup for several weeks now. All in all, it's a good program. The problem I am having is getting the program to print to a 1:1 scale on a single sheet of paper. I know I am not the only one as there are questions all over the web on this very topic. If someone accidently (or on purpose for that matter) knows the procedure, I would be grateful if you could share it with me.

Thanks
 
ONeill said:
Do it the old way Pancho . Get some graph paper and draw it out to scale . Geeze , kids today .
Click to expand...

That requires skill Jack, I never said I had any. Hehehehe
I email a hand dwan out line last time and was asked to send something else..
 
OpenOffice and LibreOffice (forks of the same project) are free and including drawing programs. GIMP is a open source image editor like Adobe Photoshop, also free. Inkscape is another open source freebie that is popular. There are lots of programs out there.. I suggest sticking with "open source" unless you know what youre looking for, because its a lot safer than the malware infested junk you get sometimes. Give those ones a shot, in no particular order. But definitely take the advice of seeing what the waterjet guys want for a delivery format, as that will affect your software choices.
 
Frank,
All the waterjet guys I have known can work from a template. Just grind a mild steel profile and send it to them. They will send back the template with the blades. I have sent cardboard templates, too.
Heck, you can just trace a blade on a sheet of paper and send the tracing.

You don't need to know CAD...as long as the waterjet guy does :)
 
Hand drawings should work just fine. Most shops with that type of equiptment can scan a drawing to create a program. Good luck with your project.
 
I personally use cad, save the file when i finish as a rx12 and then its a easy import to power station. where then i run the tool path generation to make the cnc code.

i would love to use solid works or inventor because they are so much better for fit and finish and easier to work with, but the power station software i use is stubborn so i have to take more time using auto cad.

if i were you i would look for a place with a wire edm machine :) my new favorite 3d machining tool. the tolerances are unreal how perfect they cut too. I'm talking 5 thou accuracy ! with those tolerances i never have to hand finish any pieces i work with. simply cut tabs when i finish file carefully and bamo' I'm done
 
For free CAD you can use DraftSight from the owners of SolidWorks. (Side note on the wire EDM, .001 is wide open on a wire)
 
Wire E.D.M. would not be very cost effective to cut knifeblanks. Yes they are very accurate our operators hold .0002 (yes 3 zero's) everyday. With that accuracy comes the higher cost not needed for roughing out knife blanks. If you can find a shop that gives you a good price you will have a very nice cleanly cut blank.
 
I've just started playing with DraftSight. CAD-descended tools have really opaque user interfaces for those of us only used to end-user software (and I'm a software engineer!), but they have some very powerful features when you figure out how to unlock them, and they deal in the right formats.
Generally office software is a bad starting point.

-Daizee
 
melsdad said:
Wire E.D.M. would not be very cost effective to cut knifeblanks. Yes they are very accurate our operators hold .0002 (yes 3 zero's) everyday. With that accuracy comes the higher cost not needed for roughing out knife blanks. If you can find a shop that gives you a good price you will have a very nice cleanly cut blank.
Click to expand...

A common way to reduce cost with WEDM is to do a whole stack of parts at once. Especially for knifeblanks which are relatively thin this could work, but you'd have to do the numbers to see how it stacks up against waterjetting. My gut feeling is that, unless you need the accuracy for some reason (folders?), waterjet will be the more cost effective way to go...

Cheers Rody
 
Rody you are correct. Wire edm would be great for folders, you could even add fine details like jimping, Rambo spine saws, bottle openers, etc. We have one machine in our shop that is capable of 19" thickness. That is 152 blanks, an .125" thick! The blanks would most likely need to be surface ground to stack together nicely and that would add to the cost. For the precision needed for most blanks the waterjet is still the way to go for speed and price.
 
+1 for Draftsight.. You can also easily scan your pencil drawing and trace around it in the background. I have been learning to use it in the past week.
 
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